October 2006
Volume XII, Number 10
Innovation.2006

Innovation.2006
13 New Technologies that Will Improve Your Process
In the September issue we announced the winners of this year’s Flow Control Innovation Awards program with short descriptions of the winning technologies and voter comments. This month we are providing a more in-depth look at the winners with application stories on each of the awarded technologies. You will notice that some of the following application stories refer to hypothetical applications rather than actual live implementations. This is because some of the technologies are so new that there is very little live application data to draw from. In these instances, the application stories were developed from data gathered via beta installations and preliminary testing.

Why Worry About Harmonics?
Because They May Be a Hidden Source of Inefficiency In Your Plant
Many modern-day water and wastewater facilities are taking advantage of the advances in power electronics to improve their operations. Among the devices plant operators are employing to this end are variable frequency drives, ozone generators, and UV filtration systems. These devices offer benefits such as improved energy efficiency, reduced maintenance and operating costs, and increased reliability. However, they all share one common operating concern that could cause many problems if not considered when designing or operating a water facility – i.e., these devices are all nonlinear or harmonic producing loads on the power system.

Thermal Mass Flowmeters for Water & Wastewater Treatment
New Features Help Users Improve Overall Plant Efficiency
Given some of the recent enhancements of thermal flowmeter technology, it is important for users to have a clear understanding of the capabilities and features of the latest generation of thermal flowmeter products when specifying such an instrument for purchase. The following outlines some of the key characteristics of thermal flowmeter technology and highlights some new features users should be looking for when specifying a thermal mass flowmeter for a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) application.

Flow Fundamentals Revealed
When a Small Percentage Adds Up to Big Measurement Error
Every now and then it is important to revisit fundamentals to keep things in perspective. In general, an instrument performs within its stated accuracy when it is operated within its stated range of operation. This may seem straightforward, but how many times have you seen instruments operated outside of their stated range of operation?

Exposed Curves
Why Keep a Good Thing Locked Up?
I’ve always wondered why the pump performance curves are stored in a file and locked in a drawer in the engineer’s office. They really should be in front of the operators and mechanics that work with the pumps. I mean, would you hide the dash control panel of a car in the glove box or in the trunk? Of course not!

Quiz Corner: Pipe Schedule & Flow Velocity
What's the Impact on Flow Measurement?
Sometimes we understand the effect of a certain error, but we do not take the time to determine its magnitude. Such can be the case of making an error with regard to pipe schedule. Assume a six-inch ultrasonic flowmeter in liquid service is designed and calibrated for Schedule 40 pipe, but is instead installed on a Schedule 80 pipe. How much does the flow measurement change due to the measurement of a different velocity in the metering section?